Apparently, weekend brunch has become quite fashionable in Milan. Not wanting to miss out, Geoff and I trekked over to Biancolatte near Piazza della Repubblica to see what the fuss was about. Biancolatte is a store/cafe specializing in milk, gelato, and other dairy products. It's also a fairly popular brunch hotspot. It was Sunday, and the streets of Milan seemed completely deserted, but it turns out everyone in Milan was just waiting in line for a brunch table. We pushed our way to the front to put our name down, and after a half-hour wait, we finally got to sit down.
IL PIATTO LATTERIA - buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, scamorza, tomatoes - €13.5Biancolatte has a variety of pastas, salads, and lunch plates. We were most interested in trying their different fresh cheeses. Everything pictured here was simple and superb. The ricotta was light and fluffy, the mozzarella firm and creamy, and the scamorza smoky yet smooth.
PARMA E LATTE - parma prosciutto with burratina - €13.5We also split this prosciutto with a mini-ball of burrata. The ham was of very high quality, and I've discovered it's hard to find bad prosciutto being served anywhere. The burrata was a little too small I think - and I prefer it served on crostini or with tomatoes than plain as it is here. I actually preferred the mozzarella here. But still, it was a very delicious specimen of cheese.
When we first arrived at Biancolatte, we were a little dubious about waiting in such a long line. But after our lunch, we were very, very happy we stayed - it turns out we were really craving some fresh cheese and hadn't realized it. The meal was tremendously satisfying, and we had a chance to rub elbows with a big crowd of brunching Milanese. What else could we ask for?